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Freedom of Information and Procurement

The Freedom of Information Act (2000) applies to all procurement and procurement related information. This Act works on a presumption of a right to access all recorded information held by a public authority. Information will not be released if any of the following apply:

the information was provided in confidence (section 41 of the Act)

the information is a trade secret (section 43 (1) of the Act)

the disclosure of the information would prejudice the commercial interest of any person – including the Council (section 43 (2) of the Act)

When participating in a procurement exercise, both suppliers and buyers will have the opportunity to identify information which falls under the situations described above. The Council will consult with suppliers when a public request for information is received that may affect one or more of its suppliers.